The next day, Ariana and Day were walking toward detention, the heavy weight of the upcoming punishment looming over them. As they approached the girls' bathroom, Ariana's attention was caught by a tall guy standing just outside, his posture relaxed but his voice carrying a distinct, thick southern accent. "Buttercup, come out, please," he called, his tone almost pleading.

Ariana paused for a moment, confused. "Is this guy... talking to someone in the bathroom?" she muttered to herself.

She glanced over at Day, who shrugged, equally puzzled. Curiosity got the best of her, and she approached the man.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, not sure if she should be concerned or amused.

The man turned to face her, his wide grin showing off a set of perfect teeth, and tipped his white cowboy hat. "Well, howdy there," he drawled, his southern charm in full force. "Name's Cassian, ma'am. I'm just waitin' for my gal, Selene. She's in there, hidin' out 'cause of somethin' I said. Might've gotten her a little upset."

Ariana raised an eyebrow, her confusion deepening. "Wait, you mean she's in the bathroom because of something you said?"

Cassian nodded with a sheepish grin. "Yep, sure is. I got a bit carried away with my jokes, and she didn't take too kindly to 'em. So now she's locked herself in there."

Ariana bit back a laugh, feeling a bit amused at the situation. "Sounds like you really messed up, huh?"

Cassian chuckled nervously. "Oh, I reckon so. But she's got a bit of a temper, you know? I'm just tryin' to talk to her, but she's bein' stubborn." His eyes softened a little as he glanced toward the bathroom door. "I know she'll come out eventually. Just gotta give her some time."

Ariana took a deep breath, feeling a bit nervous but determined to help Cassian. "Alright, I'll talk to her," she said, her voice gentle but firm.

Cassian smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Thank ya, sweetheart. I appreciate it."

Ariana hesitated as she stepped into the bathroom, unsure of what to expect. She looked around and spotted Selene standing by the mirror, applying dark lipstick. The girl's tall, confident figure was surrounded by an air of cool composure, her box braids cascading down her back, and her leather jacket adding to her tough look.

Ariana cleared her throat, a bit shy but determined to help. "Um, excuse me. Are you Selene?"

Selene turned slowly, glancing at Ariana before finishing up with her lipstick. She looked at Ariana with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, that's me," she said, her voice smooth and almost playful. "Cassian sent you, huh?"

Ariana nodded, feeling a little awkward. "Yeah, he's kind of worried. He said something about you being upset because of... something he said?"

Selene let out a soft chuckle, her eyes lighting up with amusement. "Upset? Nah, I'm not upset. I'm just having a little fun with him." She smirked as she finished her lipstick and put the tube away. "You see, Cassian kissed me on the cheek earlier, and then he said my lipstick was messy. Can you believe that? So now I'm just letting him stew for a bit. He's all worked up over nothing."

Ariana blinked, surprised by how playful Selene sounded. "Wait, so you're not mad at him? You're just messing with him?"

Selene grinned, tossing her braids over her shoulder. "Exactly. It's all part of the fun. He needs to learn that he can't just go around critiquing my lipstick like that. But you know how it is, we've been together long enough that I can get away with it."

Ariana giggled, feeling a bit lighter. "I get it. I do the same with my weapon, Day. Sometimes, I'll pretend I'm mad at him just to get a reaction. It's kind of fun, right?"

Selene laughed along, nodding in agreement. "See, you get it. You have to keep them on their toes."

Ariana smiled, feeling more relaxed now. "Well, if you're good, I guess I'll leave you two to work it out."

Selene waved her off with a playful smirk. "Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him. Thanks for the chat, though."

As Ariana stepped back into the hallway, she could hear Cassian calling out from outside the bathroom. "Buttercup! You okay in there?"

Selene giggled as she heard Cassian calling out for her from the hallway. "Oh, that's cute," she said with a smirk. "He's so eager to get me back out there."

She glanced back at Ariana, her playful smile widening. "You know, you could stay here with me for a while, if you want. I mean, we've got all the time in the world, right?"

Ariana hesitated for a moment, looking at Selene's laid-back expression. "I would, but I've got detention," she said with a sigh.

Selene raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin crossing her face. "Detention? Same here. Cassian and I have it too, but we never go. The deans never bother anyone unless it's a freshman. Trust me, we just keep to ourselves and avoid the whole thing."

Ariana blinked, a little taken aback. "Wait... I'm a freshman."

Selene's eyes widened for a second before she burst into laughter. "Oh, you're one of those! Freshman, huh?" she teased, shaking her head. "Well, guess that means they'll be on your case. But, you know, if you want, we could just skip. It's not like they'll come looking for us."

Ariana thought about it for a moment. She had never skipped detention before, and she wasn't sure how she felt about breaking the rules. Still, something about Selene's carefree attitude was contagious, and for a second, the idea of avoiding detention seemed like it might not be so bad.

"Maybe just this once..." Ariana mused aloud, the mischievous thought hanging in the air.

Selene winked at her, clearly delighted by the suggestion. "Now that's the spirit! Freshman or not, you'll be fine. Let's take a break, enjoy the day, and deal with the rest later. Trust me, the deans don't care unless you're making noise or breaking something."

Ariana laughed lightly, feeling a little more adventurous than usual. "Alright, I'll stay for a bit."

Selene settled herself comfortably on the bathroom floor, patting the tile beside her with a playful smile. "Come sit, buttercup," she teased, motioning for Ariana to join her. Ariana hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down beside her, her curiosity growing.

The silence between them was brief before Ariana, unable to hold back any longer, asked the question that had been on her mind. "So, who's the weapon between you and Cassian?"

Selene chuckled, leaning back against the cold tiles with a relaxed grin. "That'd be me," she said nonchalantly, the words almost sounding too casual for someone who was clearly proud of her role. "I'm his weapon. He's got the moves, but I'm the power behind it."

Ariana blinked in surprise. She had expected Cassian, with his outgoing and approachable demeanor, to be the weapon. She hadn't imagined Selene, with her tough and somewhat intimidating vibe, to be the one wielded. But the more Ariana thought about it, the more it made sense. Despite how warm and welcoming Cassian seemed, Selene carried a certain sharpness that probably balanced him out perfectly.

"Wow," Ariana said, taking in the new information. "I... didn't expect that. I always thought Cassian was the weapon. He seems, I don't know, so much more approachable than you."

Selene raised an eyebrow, amused by Ariana's honest reaction. "Yeah, well, that's kind of the point," she replied with a smirk. "Cassian's always been the one to make people feel comfortable. He's got that big, goofy charm. But believe me, we work well together. He's the type who'll talk his way out of anything, while I'm the one who gets stuff done when it counts."

Ariana nodded, now understanding a bit more about their dynamic. Selene continued, her tone softening as she spoke about their past. "Cassian and I grew up together," she said, a hint of fondness in her voice. "We were pretty close until I moved away for a bit. But we found each other again once we got into the academy. It's funny how the world works sometimes, huh?"

Ariana smiled at the thought of old friends reconnecting after time apart. It made her think about her own relationships, and how much she appreciated having Day by her side. "That's kind of sweet," she said. "I'm glad you two found each other again."

Selene shrugged with a grin. "Yeah, I guess it is. Now we've got a little family here at the academy."

Ariana then couldn't help but comment on something that had been bugging her since she first met Cassian. "You know," she began, "Cassian has this thick southern accent. I can't stop noticing it whenever he talks."

Selene snorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh, I know," she said with a grin. "It's like he thinks everyone needs to hear his accent. But that's just how he is. He's all about charm and making people feel like they belong. His accent is just part of the act."

Ariana laughed, finally understanding a little more about Cassian's charm. "It's definitely... unique," she said with a smile.

Selene raised an eyebrow, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "You should hear it when he's really riled up," she teased. "It's like he's trying to get the whole world to stop what they're doing just to listen to him."

Ariana laughed harder, the image of Cassian with his exaggerated accent making her giggle. "Sounds like a fun time," she said, settling in for a little more time with Selene.

"Yeah, well," Selene smirked, "that's Cassian for you. Always making an impression."

Ariana leaned back slightly, trying to make sense of everything. After a brief moment of quiet, she couldn't help but ask, "So, how did you and Cassian end up with detention, anyway?"

Selene's lips curled into a sly grin. "Well," she began, her voice light and teasing, "Cassian and I got caught... kissing and smoking in one of the locker rooms."

Ariana's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what? You got caught kissing in a locker room?" she gasped, her expression a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "Why would you do that?"

Selene let out a laugh, clearly enjoying the shock on Ariana's face. "Oh, don't worry, the smoking part is a joke. We didn't actually smoke. But, yeah, we were just having some fun, and, well, let's say we didn't exactly pick the most private place." Her grin widened. "Apparently, the faculty doesn't appreciate PDA in the halls."

Ariana, still processing the information, blinked in surprise. "Aw, that's... kind of sweet though. But why don't you just go to detention? It's not like you're really breaking any rules, right?"

Selene shrugged casually, her expression softening a little. "I mean, technically, yeah, we're supposed to go. But Cassian and I don't really take detention too seriously. They never bother the upperclassmen. It's just a way for them to seem like they're in control or whatever."

Ariana tilted her head, thinking about it for a second. "That's kind of funny, though. Like, they expect you to show up, but no one really cares if you don't."

Selene chuckled and stretched out her legs. "Exactly. It's mostly for the freshmen. They make a bigger deal out of it for them, probably so they can feel like they're in charge of something. Cassian and I learned pretty quick that it's not a big deal." She gave Ariana a playful wink. "Besides, I'd rather hang out here with you."

Ariana smiled, feeling a little more at ease now. "Well, I'm glad I could keep you company. I guess."

Ariana and Selene exchanged a few more playful words before the bell rang, signaling the end of detention. Ariana stretched and stood up from the bathroom floor, her legs a bit stiff from sitting too long, and Selene followed her lead, casually brushing herself off.

As they walked out of the bathroom, they saw Day and Cassian sitting against the lockers, laughing and chatting animatedly about a TV show they both seemed to enjoy. The two guys didn't notice the girls right away, too caught up in their conversation.

Selene walked over with a smirk on her face and without a word, she leaned down and snatched Cassian's cowboy hat off his head, pulling him up by the arm as she did so. Cassian let out a playful protest, but Selene just shrugged and started walking away with him, her long legs carrying her effortlessly.

"See you around, Ari," she called over her shoulder, waving goodbye to Ariana before blowing her a dramatic kiss, which made Ariana giggle.

Ariana watched them leave for a moment before turning back to Day, who had noticed her and was watching her with a raised brow.

"You really need to stop being so friendly with everyone," Day said, his tone teasing but with an underlying seriousness. His eyes held a knowing look as if he was a little protective of her.

Ariana gave him an incredulous look. "What? I'm just being polite, and Cassian and Selene are fun. What's wrong with that?"

Day sighed and shook his head, his lips curling into a small smile despite himself. "You're too trusting, Ari. Not everyone's as friendly as they seem."

Ariana rolled her eyes, though a small part of her couldn't deny the protective instinct in his voice. "I think I can handle myself, Day."

He shrugged, standing up from where he was leaning against the lockers, but there was a soft, almost reluctant smile on his face as he met her eyes. "Just looking out for you, that's all."